School Board Chair Lorie Shekailo (left) and Superintendent Nancy Kline (right) were all smiles in April when they presented the award for school-related employee of the year to Kandy Gilbert. Nowadays, though, Kline feels she has to fill out a public comment card to get permission to speak at board meetings.

Martin County School Board meetings have gone from the ridiculous to the absurd.

We crossed the Rubicon into the land of the inane, illogical and asinine at Tuesday's meeting.

A brief history: Several months ago, the board decided Schools Superintendent Nancy Kline, elected by voters in November 2008, wouldn't be allowed to speak at board meetings.

Kline's predecessor, Superintendent Sara Wilcox, was afforded the opportunity to speak freely. Not Kline. The first-year superintendent must remain silent and is allowed to speak only when questioned directly by members of the board.

On Tuesday, the absurdity of this policy reached its nadir when Kline filled out a "speaker's request form" to address the board during public comment.

Ponder that for a moment. Kline is the duly elected representative — essentially the chief executive officer — of the Martin County School District, the second-largest employer in the county (behind Martin Memorial Health Systems). But the only way for the CEO of Martin County schools to speak publicly at board meetings is during public comment!

There aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe how moronic, ludicrous and incomprehensible this is.

"The next person who requested to address the board — and I'm going to open this one up to the board because it's in violation of our agreement we made at master board training — is Nancy Kline," Shekailo said. "What's the pleasure of the board?"

School Board Attorney Doug Griffin attempted to tackle the issue.

"For this meeting, I would beg the board's indulgence to allow the request," Griffin said, "and allow me to come back prior to the next meeting and get my mind wrapped around the extent that a member of the staff can speak at ‘open to the public' in an official capacity."

Kline was allowed to speak.

"While I fully support the rights of any member of this community to address the School Board during (open to the public), I do not believe individuals should be permitted to use this time to launch personal attacks on district employees and their family members," Kline said.

This is a legitimate concern. Shekailo's failure to enforce the district's policies governing public comment has riled district staff and eroded the quality of School Board meetings.

Board member Maura Barry-Sorenson agreed with Kline.

"Regarding public comment, I believe we as a board do need to take a stronger position on some of the comments that have been brought forward," Barry-Sorenson said.

Here's the irony: While members of the public enjoy seemingly free rein to launch personal attacks, and lambaste district staff and the superintendent, the superintendent herself is required to remain silent.

This is an affront to common sense and sound policy. It's time for residents to speak up and demand the board:

• Enforce the district's rules governing public comment.

• Allow the superintendent to speak freely at board meetings.

The School Board should be embarrassed the superintendent had to fill out a "speaker's request form" to address the board.